Vulnerability Index Map

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About This Site

Why does someone experience homelessness? Why does the rate of homelessness fluctuate from month to month or year to year? Using publicly available data and information about where people in Travis County lose their housing, we show that homelessness is a structural problem, one that can be prevented by addressing underlying socioeconomic conditions.

To show where the risk of becoming homeless is greatest, we have created a Homelessness Vulnerability Index that incorporates socioeconomic data at the Census Tract level.

The interactive map to the right and the buttons above allow you to dig into the data and see how homelessness is correlated with a number of socioeconomic conditions.

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Travis County Homelessness Vulnerability Index

Recent Rent and Eviction Data

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Evictions in Austin

Average Rent in Austin

Socioeconomic Factors

Rent Factors


The two scatterplots here show the following:

Rent Burden

  • A 3 percentage point increase in the number of people in a Tract who are rent burdened is correlated with an increase of 1 person (per 5,000) falling into homelessness.

Overcrowded Rental Units

  • A 1 percentage point increase in the number of people who live in overcrowded rental units is correlated with an increase of 1 person (per 5,000) falling into homelessness.

Evictions and Gentrification


The two plots here show the following:

Eviction

  • A 3 percentage point increase in the historical eviction filing rate in a Tract is correlated with an increase of 1 person (per 5,000) falling into homelessness.

Gentrification

  • On average, approximately 8 more people (per 5,000) fall into homelessness in gentrifying Tracts.

Health Factors


The two scatterplots here show the following:

Health Insurance

  • A 2 percentage point increase in the number of people in a Tract who do not have health insurance is correlated with an increase of 1 person (per 5,000) falling into homelessness.

Mental Health

  • A 1 percentage point increase in the number of people who report having bad mental health is correlated with an increase of 1 person (per 5,000) falling into homelessness.

Poverty and Unemployment Rates


The two scatterplots here show the following:

Poverty

  • A 3 percentage point increase in the poverty rate in a Tract is correlated with an increase of 1 person (per 5,000) falling into homelessness.

Unemployment

  • A 2 percentage point increase in the unemployment rate is correlated with an increase of 1 person (per 5,000) falling into homelessness.

Race and Ethnicity


The two scatterplots here show the following:

  • A 2 percentage point increase in the proportion of a Tract’s population that is non-Hispanic Black is correlated with an increase of 1 person (per 5,000) falling into homelessness.
  • A 4 percentage point increase in the proportion of a Tract’s population that is Hispanic is correlated with an increase of 1 person (per 5,000) falling into homelessness.

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About the Data and Index

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About the index:

Coming soon!

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Data sources:

Coming soon!